One time I labeled everything in the house. In big fat letters, I typed SINK, BED, CHAIR, DOOR, PIANO and taped it to all those objects. It helped DS gain an interest and it stuck. I don't know if it would work on every kid, but it's a way to teach without any pressure.

I not only loved the message, but also they way they presented it graphically in reverse. Kudos to the creative mind that put it together!

I lost 7 pounds from that stomach bug a few weeks ago. Just go play with the kids at my son's school and you'll be a size smaller in a week!

haha I am kidding. Although the 7 pounds have not come back.

I am going to start with the bad because I like to end on a good note...

THE BAD:
1. My double C-section scar.
2. My husband was laid off last month and I may be next.
3. My sister is dodging bombs in Baghdad.
4. I can no longer afford dance classes for my daughter or dental insurance.

THE GOOD:
1. I'm alive.
2. My family is together.
3. I don't live somewhere like Baghdad, Sierra Leone or Mindanao.
4. I can make money doing what I love (although I hope that is true months from now).

I plan to wear what I always wear...black.

I know how you feel too OP. My older 2 were very easy children. The youngest has a very, very short fuse and is extremely sensitive. She gets screaming mad at her socks being crooked or not being able to fit a square peg into a round hole. She gets sassy and difficult at some point everyday...but I have never seen this with my other kids. I love her no less than the other two, but it takes an extreme amount of patience to get her to have a good day.

That was cool...thanks for sharing.

DS was an early reader. He could identify upper case at age 3, lower case at age 4. But DD is 4 now and doesn't have the lower case down yet, nor can she read yet...but she can outdraw her big brother. And even though DS knows both cases, his handwriting needs a lot of work.

They all learn at different rates and each have their own strengths/weaknesses.

Give it time...your body is readjusting. Are you getting enough sleep? Enough water? A balance between cardio, strength and stretching? When I hit a plateau, that's when I crank it up a notch on the cardio and scale back on the calories a bit.

Anonymous wrote:So, any suggestions for increasing the sex drive . . . or getting in the mood after a day of snot, poo, etc. "Just do it" doesn't get it done for me.

cardio exercise, pilates, V-crunches and yoga hip openers.

wine.

cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.

trade massages with your spouse.

Anonymous wrote:...although, by that logic we should also be applauding crack dealers and arsonists...

ha! I think Dave Chappelle did a skit about that once...criminals keeping the police employed. But I guess we could say that about many professions, right? If it weren't for out-of-shape people, I wouldn't be in the Zumba business.

There seems to be some cool, down-to-earth moms on here once in awhile....so yes, I do.

But I don't know anyone with a nanny and never heard of the big 3 until I started visiting DCUM.

The SAHs and WMs I know don't trash talk each other (at least in my presence).

I know tons of other Zumbamamas in DC, but they are not on this site.

I've worked with writers and editors for ten years. Many of the writers don't use proper grammar and they make the same spelling mistakes I see here.

Just look at it this way—if it were not for people with less than perfect grammar, we would not have the need to employ copy editors. So from an economic standpoint, other peoples' poor grammar helps maintain the job market for you copy editors.

I don't normally correct someone's grammar unless I'm proofing something (and I'm not technically an editor, so it's likely there will still be errors that I miss). But since we're on the subject, here's one for ya. Yes, I know I said ya.

The word "Filipino" does not begin with "Ph." But the country does! (I really don't expect anyone to know this, but have seen it misspelled a million times).

maybe report PEPCO too, after reading that other thread. What's going on with the utility companies?

I'm 33 and have had long hair most of my life. I've had it layered, oval cut, straight cut, bangs, no bangs. You can try parting it different ways...side, middle, zig zag. Or you can cut the front to a length that can sweep to the side—very chic!

I used to spend a long time washing/drying/straightening it every morning. But these days I wash it at night, scrunch it as soon as I get out of the shower and pull it up into a loose scrunched ponytail so that it will dry overnight extra wavy. I l spray wave enhancing spritz on it in the morning and it's done—no blow-dry, no iron, no fuss.